1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention described herein pertain to the field of containers. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, one or more embodiments of the invention enable a wireless active monitor system for containers and carts.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently available containers and carts are non-intelligent objects that store items. The containers and carts may be stationary or mobile so long as they hold items. The items have associated physical quantities associated with them. The physical quantities associated with the items are difficult or impossible to measure without performing an action on the containers or carts.
For example, to obtain the weight of the items in a container or cart, current systems may physically lift, hold steady and weigh the container or cart. This operation takes skill, namely to steady the cart, and time which incurs a cost associated with labor related to the physical lifting operation. An example of this type of system is found in U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 5,837,945, to Cornwell, et al, filed 17 Nov. 1998.
Another device, under the trademark UP-SCALE®, is utilized as an under-container scale. The under-container scale is physically unloaded, moved under a container, and forced upward to support the container. The manufacturer does not recommend use of the apparatus for every pick-up, but rather only for suspicious cases due to the labor intensity and time involved with performing the measurement. In addition, the device may cost thousands of dollars.
RFID devices have been attached to various objects to identify the objects. When such devices are attached to containers, there is no possibility of measurement of physical quantities associated with items in the container for example.
When collecting garbage, a garbage truck is weighed on entry to a dump site. In this example, the items from individual containers are not weighed separately, but rather as a whole after collecting a large number of containers. This method does not allow for high weight containers to be charged differently from lightly loaded containers. A better option would be to wirelessly weigh each container without requiring the container to be lifted and steadied, or alternatively raised with an under-container scale. In this manner, the entity leasing the container could be charged based on weight instead of based on the volume of the container.
There is currently no known wireless active monitor system for containers and carts that allows for physical measurements to acquired without physical contact with a container or cart. For at least the limitations described above there is a need for a wireless active monitor system for containers and carts.